Arknights: Mobile City

Seeing the penguin before him, Obsidian glanced around, then responded with a calm, synthetic voice:

"Hello. May I ask who you are?"

The penguin looked up at him, eyes glinting with interest. Then, as if struck by inspiration, they practically lit up.

"Bro, where the hell did you get that body?"

"Oh, right—I'm a musician from Victoria. You can call me the Emperor."

As he introduced himself, the Emperor puffed up his chest a little, clearly proud of his title. Obsidian smiled inwardly. Then, taking off his wide-brimmed hat, he gave a slight bow, adopting a reverent tone.

"So it's you, Mr. Emperor... I've long admired your work. I often listen to your songs while traveling the Outskirts—one of the rare pleasures out there."

"As for this body, I'm afraid I can't go into too much detail. You may call me Pioneer. This steel frame is my body—let's just say, it's a product of my own Originium-based craftsmanship."

The Emperor clearly enjoyed the flattery. He gave his feathers a showy shake, basking in the compliment. But his gaze quickly returned to the row of Doubts standing behind Pioneer.

Seeing this reaction, Obsidian began forming a plan in his mind.

Who is the Emperor, really? Beyond being a musician, he was also a Beastmaster.

Obsidian was fairly certain that, at least in Victoria, the Emperor had some serious pull.

And now, he seemed very interested in the Doubts… In that case, why not try to leverage that curiosity? If he could get the Emperor to buy them outright, that'd be the best outcome possible.

"So, back to my original question—what exactly are these things, bro?" the Emperor asked, motioning at the Doubts with a wing.

"They're robots called Doubts. Are you interested in them, Mr. Emperor?"

Obsidian asked with a polite smile. The Emperor gave a confident nod, eyes gleaming with naked curiosity.

"But to be honest, I'm even more interested in you."

That caught Obsidian's attention. He lowered the brim of his hat slightly.

Sorry, not into interspecies diplomacy.

"Oh, I'm not for sale…"

"Then how about these?"

The Emperor gestured again to the Doubts. It was clear that he'd already figured out why Obsidian had brought them to Victoria—and the merchant's pass clipped to Obsidian's waist only confirmed it.

"You're looking to buy them?"

"I've got a concert coming up," the Emperor said, adjusting his sunglasses. "And I just got this new idea—these things dancing behind me on stage? That would be killer."

In his sharp eyes, countless ideas were already taking form.

With his experience, it only took a glance to recognize the uniqueness of these Doubts—they weren't anything like what you'd find on Terra. From their construction to their inner logic, they were more akin to works of art than machines.

Obsidian kept a straight face, but inwardly, he sighed.

Using Doubts… as backup dancers? That was extravagant, to say the least. But if anyone had the means to be extravagant, it was the Emperor.

"So, you're looking to buy them?" Obsidian asked, his tone measured. "I don't have any objections. It's just the matter of price…"

"Just name it."

"No. I don't want money. I only take steel."

The Emperor paused briefly at that, thinking it over.

"Steel, huh? No problem. Name your number."

"In that case, let's talk as we walk."

Seeing that the Emperor remained eager to buy, Obsidian relaxed slightly. The two began strolling through the streets of Victoria as they negotiated.

To Obsidian's surprise, the entire deal went far more smoothly than expected. There was no haggling. No drawn-out bargaining.

Because—well, the Emperor offered a lot.

The final deal: 120 tons of steel. Market value: over 30,000 Victoria pounds. And what did Obsidian have to give up? Just these 10 Doubts… and 10 more upon delivery.

It was a deal that satisfied both sides. Obsidian gave the Emperor the City's current coordinates, arranging for the steel to be delivered there. In return, once it arrived, he'd hand over the remaining Doubts.

Everything had gone so smoothly. Barely any time had passed since his arrival in Victoria, and he'd already achieved his goal.

The anxiety that had been gnawing at him ever since the Food Chain appeared finally began to subside.

"If it weren't for this concert, I'd definitely head to the City myself to take a look," the Emperor said as they parted. "Shame about the timing. But once the show's done, I'll swing by and pay you a proper visit."

With that promise, they agreed the steel would be delivered within two days.

And just like that, Obsidian had completed his mission in Victoria. He wasted no time—immediately setting off alone across the Outskirts to return to the City.

One hundred and twenty tons of steel. With each ton able to produce roughly two and a half Doubts, that meant he could theoretically create up to 300 of them.

That was far beyond what he'd originally hoped for. He'd thought 40 tons would be a lucky haul at best…

But it seemed the Emperor was even more generous—and more impressed by the Doubts—than Obsidian had imagined.

Of course, the Emperor had other reasons for making such a generous offer.

He was deeply curious about Pioneer.

That curiosity was the real reason behind his swift and decisive offer. He was making a friendly gesture—one that, if it led to further connections, would only be to his benefit.

After all, to the Emperor, this amount of money wasn't even worth mentioning.

And so, under the vast night sky, Obsidian made his way back to the City. With no Doubts slowing him down, it took less than a day to reach it.

From afar, he gazed upon the familiar skyline. In Pioneer's softly glowing eyes, a flicker of resolve could be seen.

Soon… he would return to the City. And this time, he was bringing back hope.

"All right," both Pioneer and the Obsidian in the wooden house whispered at the same time, voices overlapping in different places, but unified in intent:

"Let's begin this game."

"But in the end, the winner of this game…"

"Will be me. Will be us—the City itself."